The Passions had a moment in 1981, when they became one-hit wonders with I’m In Love With A German Film Star.

Built around the chiming melody of Clive Timperley’s shimmering Echoplex guitar figure, Barbara Gogan’s languid vocal professed her attraction to an unlikely figure on the punk scene.

Steve Connelly was not really a German film star, being better known by his nickname “Roadent” for his job as roadie for The Clash and Sex Pistols.

But he had, apparently, had minor roles in some German films and also played The Jokes in a German miniseries called Das Ding.

The band first formed in 1978 in Shepherds Bush as The Youngsters, with a line up of Gogan (guitar, vocals) and Richard Williams (drums) – both from The Derelicts – joined by Claire Bidwell (bass), Mitch Barker (lead vocals) and Dack Dyde (guitar).

Before long Dyde had left, to be replaced by Timperley – formerly of The 101ers – and they changed their name to Rivers Of Passion, soon to be shortened to The Passions.

I confess I thought this – their only hit – had been their first single but they made their debut in March 1979 with a song called Needles And Pills.

Written by Dyde and sung by Barker, it was released as a double A-side with Body & Soul. It earned them a deal wtih The Cure’s label, Fiction Records but Barker left six months later, and Gogan took over lead vocals for the first of their three Peel sessions in November 1979.

A year later they put out their first album, Michael And Miranda, but Bidwell left the band after their tour with The Cure, to be replaced on bass by David Agar, and the band were dropped by Fiction.

Moving to Polydor, they released a new single, The Swimmer, but it was not until the winter of 1981 that they tasted success with I’m In Love With A German Film Star, reaching No.25 in the singles chart.

By then Bidwell had also left the group, with David Agar taking over on bass for their second album, 30,000 Feet Over China, which included the hit single.

A hybrid of a compilation and a new record, the LP collected a number of previously released A-sides and added several new recordings, but Timperley left before the end of the year, to be replaced by Kevin Armstrong, and they also added keyboard player Jeff Smith.

Following a third album, Sanctuary, the band split in mid-1983 after a final show at The Marquee Club, though Gogan reappeared in 1998 when she released Made on Earth, made with experimentalist Hector Zazou.

Armstrong went on to play guitar in Tin Machine, working as guitarist and songwriter for numerous artists including David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Steve Nieve and Sinead O’Connor.